Now in its sixth year, the 2018 One Billion Rising (OBR) movement chooses solidarity as its primary campaign theme –– urging women to Rise, Resist and Unite against the fascist, imperialist, and neo-liberal attacks prevalent in society.

Solidarity indeed was evident last Feb. 15, when students, faculty members and women from other sectors took part in the One Billion Rising 2018 dance protest at the Palma Hall steps, organized by Gabriela Youth UP Diliman; from there, the group marched to Quezon Hall, where a cultural program took place and the dancing resumed.

Dr. Kimuell-Gabriel introduced the UP Laban sa Opresyon at Diskriminasyon (UP LODI), as well as its four calls to action: to end all violence against women; to end all violence related to gender and sexuality; free education for all; and to regularize workers enslaved under contractualization.

Almira Abril from Gabriela Youth UPD emphasized that being a woman activist goes beyond fighting for the rights of women, and equality between sexes; being a woman activist is to devote oneself to the plights of the masses, becoming one in the fight against industrialization and oppression.

Despite our society’s attempts at development and progress, mistreatment and discrimination towards women today remains ever prevalent. In fact, the Women and Children Protection Center of the Philippine National Police released a report stating that the number of cases involving violence against women, ranging from rape and abuse to abduction or kidnapping, has risen from 6,271 in 2004 to 23,865 in 2013.

Worldwide, the numbers are equally alarming.

The United Nations first reported in 2012 that one in every three women will have experienced physical or sexual abuse at one point in their entire lives; looked at on a global scale, the number reaches over a staggering one billion women worldwide.

It is this same daunting statistic that incited what is now known as the One Billion Rising movement, whose primary aim is to put a stop to sexual harassment and violence against women from all walks of life. More than 200 countries have participated in this annual protest, making it the single largest global action taken to end violence against women.

Misogyny – and his name

Under the Duterte administration, however, fighting for women’s rights becomes a much more difficult task.

Dr. Kimuell-Garcia was unafraid to call out the president and his government, stating that “walang katulad na pambabastos, pagmamaliit, pangiinsulta, panghihiya at pagdudurog sa ating pagkatao.”

Shown to have little to no sympathy to the plight of women in the country, and branded as a misogynist since before he had been elected, Duterte was once again under fire for an instruction he had given to his soldiers when dealing with women soldiers and guerilla fighters: “We will not kill you … we will just shoot you in the vagina,” adding a little after how a woman is useless without hers.

Duterte’s threats of violence have proven to be more than mere empty words; November 28 of last year saw the death of fifteen suspected members of the New People’s Army in Nasugbu, Batangas. Of the fifteen fatalities, five were women –– inlcuding Jo Lapira, an activist formerly from the University of the Philippines Manila.

As a former secretary-general and deputy secretary-general for Gabriela Youth in UP Manila, Lapira was one of the voices who emulated the spirit of women activism, relentless in calling others to militant action.

Dr. Kimuell-Garcia declared Duterte was the embodiment of sexism, machismo, and fascism, claiming that not only did the President belittle women and their struggles, “pinagmumukha niyang tanga ang mga kilusang ito.” She also reasoned that it is the president’s very behavior that enables government officials, “mula sa taas hanggang baba,” as well as the military, to perpetuate this culture of violence and oppression against women.

The President’s words, however, do not deter these women, persistent in their fight for liberation.

With movements like the 2017 Women’s March aimed at then newly reinstated US President Donald Trump, campaigns like the #MeToo hashtag that spread across social media platforms against sexual harassment, and events such as the One Billion Rising protest itself, women have asserted their rights as equals –– thereby demanding the respect and visibility they deserve.

Truly, in spite of these hardships, women activists continue on in their pursuit of justice –– not only for women worldwide, but other marginalized sectors who are equally mistreated and oppressed.

“We fight against sexism, patriarchy, and imperialism,” said Monique Wilson, global coordinator of One Billion Rising. “We are rising and resisting against our own president, who doesn’t seem to know how to respect women’s vaginas.”

With the call of “Rise, Resist, Unite,” women on campus and around the world are stirred to action, overcoming whatever hindrances in order to stand –– and dance –– in solidarity and in protest for the one billion whose voices demand to be heard.

The University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Lady Maroons extend their losing skid after falling against the Far Eastern University (FEU) Lady Tamaraws in straight sets, 23-25, 12-25, 19-25, in the first round of UAAP women’s volleyball tournament at the Filoil Flying V Arena, Saturday.

UP had a strong start in the opening set reaching the 20-point mark first, but the Lady Maroons’ defense scrambled late in the set as Lady Tamaraw Toni Basas fired three canons from the right to snatch the set away, 25-23.

The Morayta-based squad carried the momentum in the second to limit the Diliman-based team’s offense to only 12 points. The Lady Tamaraws took a dominating 2-0 lead after taking the second set, 25-12.

UP’s team captain Tots Carlos carried the load in the second set scoring five of her 15 points in that set while Isa Molde was limited to only four points in the whole game.

The Lady Maroons had a little show in the start of the third set but was easily ended by Isa Molde’s consecutive attack errors to give the Lady Tamaraws a comfortable 7-point lead going to the second technical timeout.

Meanwhile, Heather Guino-o and Basas led the charge for FEU with 11 and 10 markers, respectively, while team captain Bernadette Pons contributed nine points, eight coming from attacks.

UP’s head coach Godfrey Okumu said the team has had problems with finishing a game, even a set.

“Again, our finishing has been a problem for a quite sometime now. I believe my glasses are half full. I’m gonna fill it in time,” he said after the game.

UP committed 35 unforced errors in total while FEU managed to limit their errors at 23 which is half of their mistakes against the defending champions, De La Salle University in their last match.

Lady Tamaraws’ head coach George Pascua was happy about the performance of her girls especially after minimizing their unforced errors.

The University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Lady Maroons suffered heartbreak today as they crumbled against the Adamson University (AdU) Lady Falcons in three sets, 9-25, 25-27, 20-25, in the UAAP women’s volleyball tournament at the Filoil Flying V Arena.

The Diliman squad underperformed throughout the game, getting overpowered by the Lady Falcons both in scoring and non-scoring departments.

Team captain Diana Carlos finished as the only Lady Maroon scoring double digits with 12 points.

On the other hand, Mylene Paat and Jema Galanza led the Lady Falcons with 15 and 14 points respectively. It was a team effort for Adamson with four players scoring double digits.

Blowout opening set

UP suffered from the get-go as the three-all mark saw a 12-point run from Adamson, including five service aces by Paat to take the dominating lead, 3-15.

The San Marcelino squad proved relentless in their offense against the Lady Maroons, with Galanza and Chiara Permentilla collaborating for the lead, 7-21.

A service ace by Paat closed the set for Adamson, with UP only achieving a single digit score, 9-25.

Tighter second set

The Lady Maroons refused to back down in the second, registering four deadlocks before the first technical timeout, 6-8, in favor of Adamson.

The Lady Falcons tried to pull away midway into the set, 13-18, courtesy of attacks by Galanza and aces by Joy Dacoron.

However, UP staged a comeback as they tied the game at 18, courtesy of errors by the Lady Falcons and aces by substitute setter Rem Cailing.

From that point, both teams saw seven deadlocks as they extended the set, 25-all. However, a drop by Galanza and an attacking error by Isa Molde ended the set, 25-27 to give Adamson a dominating 2-0 lead.

Falling short

The third set started close, with UP only behind by one point going into the first technical timeout, 7-8.

Heavy serves by the Lady Falcons got them ahead of the Lady Maroons going into the second technical timeout, 14-16.

The Diliman squad eventually lost steam at the end, with the set and the match concluded with an attacking error by Marian Buitre, 20-25.

Defense and confidence woes

The Lady Maroons struggled in their defense throughout the game, only registering 39% in the digging department compared to Adamson’s 51%.

The Diliman team also achieved only 31% in their reception, while the Lady Falcons registered 49%.

Coach Godfrey Okumu attributed the team’s dismal performance to the lack of confidence he observed during the game.

“The players lost confidence in the first set. This type of thing, we cannot train—we train skills,” he said. “We have to play strong and learn to relax, but it seems like it takes time for them to adjust as well.”

Okumu hopes his team learns from the loss to play better in the following games.

“If we can pass well, we’d have good offense,” he said. “I hope with time we become stronger and get better results.”

With the loss, UP loses ground in the team rankings with a 1-2 win-loss card.

The Lady Maroons will try to redeem themselves against the Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws this Saturday at the Filoil Flying V Arena.

The University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Lady Maroons suffer their first defeat of the season, falling in straight sets against defending champions De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Spikers, 21-25, 22-25, 24-26, yesterday at the FilOil Flying V Arena.

Reminiscent of UP’s first round win against the Lady Spikers last season, a sea of Maroon filled the seats in San Juan, a hopeful Diliman crowd pinning for another upset against the squad in green and white.

And contrary to what the sweep may suggest, it was a rather close and gritty game. It was a back-and-forth affair at the start the match. Both teams made runs one after another to keep the opening set close.A total of nine deadlocks kept UP at pace with the defending champions until late in the first when they were tied, 21-all.But four straight points from Lady Spiker Tine Tiamzon gave the set to the Taft squad, 25-21.

DLSU started the second set strong with a 4-1 start, but the Lady Maroons were quick to recover and take the lead early in the second, 9-6

However, costly errors from the Diliman squad and a barrage of attacks and aces enabled the Lady Spikers to pull away, threatening to take the set, 24-19.

Just when the Lady Spikers looked poised to run away with the set, a late UP run had the Lady Maroons breathing down their necks, 22-24. But an attack from setter Michelle Cobb gave DLSU the 2-0 lead, 25-22.

Unfazed by their disadvantage, the Diliman squad started the third strong. Attacks from all directions of the Maroon offense gave DLSU a run for their money, with UP leading the defending champs 19-13.

It looked like the Lady Maroons were en route to make a comeback, but the Taft squad wasn’t about to let their lead go to waste.

With a rally of their own, DLSU crawled back into the set to inch closer to UP at 21-23.

The Lady Maroons were the first to come at set point, 24-21 and looked to extend the match to another set.

But an attack from DLSU skipper Majoy Baron, a costly error from Tots Carlos and three consecutive aces from Cobb eventually gave the Lady Spikers the match, 26-24.

UP head coach Godfrey Okumu lamented his team’s ability to finish sets, whether in the lead or coming from behind.

“We need to be more aggressive… in the way we defended, the way we spike, we have to be aggressive even in the way we serve,” Okumu said after the game.

UP’s loss came with a great discrepancy in service aces, with DLSU overpowering the Diliman squad 16-4 points in the service line.

“At the end of the day… it would’ve gone to any team. But experience played a factor and we’re going to work on that,” he added.

Lady Maroon skipper Carlos paced UP with 19 points, along with Isa Molde and Jessma Ramos with 10 and nine markers, respectively.

Meanwhile, DLSU had four players in double figures, with team captain Kim Dy and Tine Tiamzon leading the way with 13 apiece and Desiree Cheng and Cobb with 10 each.

The loss gives UP a 1-1 slate, and the Diliman squad will hope to bounce back when they face the Adamson Lady Falcons this Valentines’ Day at the FilOil Flying V Arena.

The University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons starts their season with a bang.

Making quick work of the University of the East (UE) Red Warriors, UP clinched a win in its season opener in straight sets (25-22, 25-15, 25-13) at the Mall of Asia Arena, Sunday.

The Diliman squad gifted their new head coach Hans Chuacuco his first victory in a spectacular fashion, dominating the Warriors in every area of the game.

It was a back-and-forth affair to start the match. Both squads traded attacks and errors to keep the opening set close with UE taking the lead late in the set, 21-22.

But the Maroons managed to pull away just in time, scoring four straight points to bag the first set, 25-22.

Carrying momentum from the first, State U came into the second set with a wild flurry of loaded serves and attacks to dominate early in the set, 8-1.

The Red Warriors were able to get back into the set. Making a run of their own, UE managed to inch a bit closer to the Diliman squad, 13-18.

Determined to take the dominating 2-0 lead, UP fired up a 7-2 run to finish the set, 25-15.

At the start of the third, the Warriors were able to play at pace with UP at the beginning of the set. However, costly errors and offensive firepower from the Maroons gave them the set and the match, 25-13.

UP head coach Chuacuco was more than satisfied with the performance of his squad in his debut.

“Actually akala namin may first game jitters kami, but di naman siya nag-materialize. As their new head coach, I’m very happy with how they performed,” Chuacuco said after the game.

It was an overall team effort from the Maroons with more than a few players contributing to the great performance.

Three Maroons scored double figures with UP skipper Jerry San Pedro leading the way with 12, followed by veteran Wendel Miguel and opposite hitter Mark Millete with 11 apiece.

UP hopes to ride the momentum and grab another win as they face the De La Salle University Green Spikers on Saturday, Feb. 10 at the FilOil Flying V Arena.

The University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Lady Maroons secured their first win of the season under new head coach Godfrey Okumu, after surviving a five-set match against the University of the East (UE) Lady Warriors, 25-19, 25-13, 21-25, 16-25, 15-8 at the Mall of Asia Arena, Sunday.

The Lady Maroons were off to a good start in the first set, with Isa Molde starting the scoring spree with five spikes and two block hits.

But it was comeback open spiker Justine Dorog who finished the set, 25-19, with two back-to-back aces.

Both teams traded errors in the second set, but the UP squad managed a 12-0 run towards the end of the set, 24-13. Team Captain Tots Carlos led the pack with her loaded spike serves and back row attacks.

It was a nip and tuck game coming into the third set as either squads deny the ball to hit the ground, rallying at 11-11, 13-13, 18-18, 19-19, and 21-21.

The Lady Maroons looked poised to take the game in straight sets. Little did they know that it was far from over.

Committing 12 errors in the third set, the Diliman squad failed to play at pace with UE. With the Lady Warriors scoring a crucial run towards the end of the set.

Meanwhile, Dorog managed to stop the bleeding with two back-to-back kills in an attempt to swing the momentum back on the UP side. But UE outside hitter Judith Abil did damage from the service line until the Lady Warriors pulled away with a third set win, 25-21.

The rallies continued in the fourth set, where UP enjoyed lucky hits by Molde, Carlos, and Jessma Ramos, to keep the game close.

But UE veteran Shaya Adorador answered back with off-the-block hits that sustained the UE lead throughout the set. UE eventually pulled away late in the fourth courtesy of a flurry of errors from UP to force a fifth and deciding set.

Determined not to let the match slip away, UP entered the fifth set with a 5-1 lead with setter-spiker Ayel Estranero attacking on the first point. Meanwhile, rookie player Abbie Lim made her UAAP debut for the UP squad for the first time as a service specialist in the deciding set.

“Let’s pass – that’s what I was telling them,” Coach Okumu said after he saw that his team was down.

Crucial attacks from skipper Tots Carlos and Isa Molde gave the Maroons enough firepower to close the match, 15-8.

The Lady Maroons are set to face the defending champions De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Spikers on Saturday, February 10. The Lady Maroons hope for a repeat victory over the Taft squad after clinching a straight-set win against the Lady Spikers last season.

Amid attacks against the press, media practitioners and students gathered at a forum in the College of Mass Communication, UP Diliman to decry state repression on freedom of the press and freedom of expression.

Organized by the College Editors’ Guild of the Philippines (CEGP), “Pressed Freedom” is the first in a series of fora to be launched at different universities and colleges that aims to discuss the current state of media democracy under the Duterte administration.

The Philippine media saw itself under the spotlight when the first month of the year began.

On Jan. 15, the Securities and Exchange Commission ordered to revoke the registration of Rappler due to its alleged violation on Foreign Equity Restriction. Three days after, 30 radio stations in Mindanao were threatened to be shut down by the National Telecommunications Commission due to technical violations.

“Media does not exist in a vacuum. Neither do attacks in the media,” said Let’s Organize for Democracy and Integrity (LODI) convenor Inday Espina Varona.

Varona recapped the specific events when the government tried to challenge the free press and emphasized that just like former President Marcos, Duterte’s assault on media has to do with consolidation of powers and his vision of dictatorship.

Meanwhile, Voltaire Tupaz, spokesperson of Rappler’s Citizen Journalism Arm, called for young journalists to unite to defend the freedom of the press.

During the forum, the issue on the crisis of Philippine Collegian, the official campus publication of UP Diliman, was brought up by Bulatlat writer Ronalyn Olea.

Jose Mari Callueng, National President of CEGP, explained that the publication is at the brink of being defunded because its current budget was just a carry over from the funds in the previous years.

Since the implementation of the Free Tuition Policy program, the administration considered the Philippine Collegian and University Student Council fees as part of the ‘other school fees.’ Callueng further said that there are offers to subsidize the funds.

However, Sonny Boy Afable, editor-in-chief of the Philippine Collegian, said that the publication is against this proposal.

According to Afable, the student fees must still be collected from the students.

When asked if there had been dialogues between them and the UP administration, Afable said that they have been requesting for it as early as August last year.

Olea lauded the stand of the Philippine Collegian and said that these student publications and student councils are products of students movements, hence they embody the complete expression of freedom inside the university.

After the forum, students led by UP College of Mass Communication Student Council (CMCSC) Chairperson Mikko Ringia proceeded to a protest calling for unity in defending press freedom.

This was not the first time that CMC students staged a rally to condemn media suppressions. Last Jan. 18, a candle-lighting protest was held in front of Plaridel Hall to denounce the threats and attacks against press freedom.

48 years after the historic First Quarter Storm that saw the youth rise against the repressive policies of Ferdinand Marcos’ regime, protesters gathered on Friday to condemn the similar series of attacks against the people now launched by the Duterte administration.

“Ang mga issue noon ay gano’n parin hanggang ngayon,” said writer-director and former student activist Boni Ilagan in a protest held at the University of the Philippines Diliman.

Ilagan also called the administration’s spate of extrajudicial killings, anti-people policies, and attempts to silence critical voices reminiscent of the Martial Law era.

In a 29-page decision released last week, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ordered the revocation of news organization Rappler’s license to operate, accusing them of violating the Constitution by allegedly allowing foreign control over its corporate affairs.

Rappler, however, has been firm in saying they are wholly Filipino-owned and that their foreign investors have no say on the company’s operations.

Let’s Organize for Democracy and Integrity (LODI), an artists and media alliance dedicated to upholding freedom of expression, denounced this decision, tagging it as “politically-motivated” and a clear attack on press freedom.

“We cannot look at SEC’s decision outside of the political events. This is an attack, since the President and his supporters have long been lambasting and harrassing Rappler for being critical of the administration,” said blogger and newspaper columnist Tonyo Cruz.

Besides Rappler, other media organizations are also experiencing looming threats on their right to report freely.

President Rodrigo Duterte himself has frequently threatened media entities and has called journalists “bastos” for writing pieces critical of his administration.

He has previously decried the Philippine Daily Inquirer after it has published the infamous Pieta-like front page photo of a war on drugs victim, as well as a series of articles on the administration’s bloody crackdown on narcotics.

Months later, the Inquirer was sold to businessman Ramon Ang, a close friend of the President.

Earlier this week, online news site VERA Files also went down after they released a story regarding the Duterte family’s failure to disclose their investments.

Tinig ng Plaridel itself has not been spared from threats made by Facebook trolls after publishing articles and photos on protests against Duterte.

Progressive student organizations also rallied against the newly-implemented Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law, which leaves poor families at an even greater disadvantage as they are forced to endure the resulting price hike in basic commodities.

The law is said to benefit the Filipinos as it exempts from income tax those with an annual income of P250,000 or less.

However, according to IBON Foundation, as much as 15.2 million families will not be getting these tax exemptions, since most of them are minimum wage earners or are otherwise working in informal work with low incomes.

UP professor Danilo Arao urged the students to keep the vigorous spirit of youth activism present during the Marcos regime alive and to safeguard our nation’s democratic rights.

The UP Diliman Film student spent seven years in jail for trumped up charges: illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, illegal possession of explosives, and violation of the omnibus election code.

Montajes was integrating in a peasant community in Taysan, Batangas when members of the Philippine Air Force surrounded the house they were staying in for the night, showered them with bullets and arrested her and two others: Romiel Cañete and Ronilo Baes. The three were then known as “Taysan 3”.

Montajes became a “mayora” for the women she lived with in jail. Part of her role was to oversee the completion of inmate tasks.

Montajes was finally freed last July 21, 2017 after posting more than P600,000 for bail. Freedom came at a high price. But even beyond prison, restrictions still abound.

After seven

Montajes did not qualify for free tuition in UP Diliman. Students who fail to complete their degree within a year after the prescribed period are not covered by the free tuition policy. Her seven years in jail had robbed her of that chance.

The right to free education in UP remains unavailable to law students and masteral takers as well. A whopping sum of more than P25,000 is being demanded for Montajes’ 15 units this semester

“Pero there’s an ongoing appeal for my tuition at may initial talks na and the Office of the Chancellor, OVPAA (Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs) , OSSS (Office of Scholarships and Student Services), and OVCSA (Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs) and other offices are open to help regarding the tuition,” Montajes said.

Montajes is partly relieved. At last, she gets a chance at continuing her education, at having a hand in what she chooses to do with her life.

At last, she returns to the College of Mass Communication (CMC).

Back at it

Montajes, however, is returning to a college that she has not seen for a thousand days.

Aside from the college’s many structural alterations, it is not populated with students Montajes no longer recognizes. Her batchmates, the people she has spent years working and learning with, have left the institution a long time ago.

But if there is anything that hasn’t changed in the college it is the students’ longing for true societal change.

Montajes herself is an activist, part of movements that fought for some privileges in the college, including free laptop charging in the lobby and the construction of org spaces.

Again, in service of the people

Being an alagad ng media is powerful, Montajes said. She recognized its ability to influence, to mobilize.

“Aralin natin ito nang mabuti at gawing makabuluhan ang bawat likha,” Montajes said. She hopes that students in the college recognize the chance to become storytellers for the sectors being deprived of a voice in society.

Montajes also called for the continued support of the College of Mass Communication and its students in fighting for the freedom of political prisoners.

To be free is to break routine. Montajes is rebuilding her own after seven years.

She challenges every media practitioner to do the same: expose the rotten system that we have come to know that deprives the youth of their right to education, keeps workers contractuals and struggling for minimum wage, kills farmers on their own lands.

To break free is create works that will contribute towards freedom from this system — and as Montajes did, to live and fight with the masses in order to truly be one with their struggle.

ERRATUM: The amount of Montajes’ bail was updated from P400,000 to more than P600,000.

Standing for press freedom, students and media practitioners rallied against the Duterte administration’s attacks on the media in a series of protests last week.

The College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP), a nationwide alliance of tertiary-level student publications, led the protest at the Mendiola Peace Arch last Wednesday after the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) suspended Rappler’s license to operate.

In a decision dated Jan. 11, the SEC said Rappler violated laws on restrictions of foreign funding to Philippine mass media as they “sold control to foreigners” and did a “deceptive scheme to circumvent the constitution.”

Aside from Rappler’s imminent shutdown, the National Telecommunications Commission is also planning to close around 30 radio stations in Davao for violating broadcasting laws and not having necessary permits.

Burning a photograph of President Rodrigo Duterte, the media students publicly condemned the administration’s activities that constrain news agencies from exercising press freedom.

The agency claimed that Omidyar Network, an investment firm owned by the founder of online auction firm eBay, has control over Rappler by being one of their investors.

They argued that Rappler violates laws on Foreign Equity Restrictions in Mass Media.

“If not for returns, for what purpose then is the investment? Control,” the decision said.

However, last Wednesday, Callueng said that SEC’s decision is an “attack” above anything else. While they accuse Rappler of being owned by a foreign company, the government is already leaning towards opening the country more to foreign businesses.

Relaxing restrictions on foreign ownership of local business is one of considered changes in the federal constitution, proponents from House of Representatives said last year.

Meanwhile, UP student journalists then joined in protest with campus publications from Ateneo De Manila University (ADMU) and other universities at Ateneo Gate 2 on Friday. It was organized by the Confederation of Student Publications, including The GUIDON, Matanglawin Ateneo and Heights Ateneo.

The GUIDON editor-in-chief Robbin Dagle said that campus publications won’t stop fighting for democracy, freedom and every Filipino as they claimed that the issue with Rappler is similar to what campus publications currently face.

With a new semester in tow, UP Diliman students and multisectoral groups urged the UP community to fight against the anti-people policies of the Duterte administration in a series of protests held yesterday.

Progressive youth groups expressed their support for the UP community— vendors, jeepney drivers, and personnel— in light of the recent implementation of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law.

The TRAIN Law increases take-home pay of employees, cutting off tax reductions for those whose annual income amounts to P250,000. However, the prices of basic commodities are set to inflate, particularly petroleum and sugar-based products. In addition, not everyone with income lower than P250,000 will benefit from the TRAIN law because most of them are minimum wage earners.

“While not getting increased take home pay, they [the poor] will have to endure price hikes as a direct or indirect effect of higher consumption taxes,” stated think tank IBON Foundation.

The protests also condemned the Security and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) closure order of Rappler. Inc, wherein the online news organization is accused of violating the Constitution which mandates local media to be owned by Filipinos.

UP College of Mass Communication Student Council (CMCSC) chairperson Mikko Ringia compared this with Marcos’ martial law era, wherein major news outfits were forced to shut down due to the dictatorship.

Union of Journalists of the Philippines – UP (UP) chairperson Mark Kevin Reginio emphasized this plea, saying that the recent turn of events are manifestations of the state’s refusal to side with its people.

Students carried over the protest to Village B and C, where they joined the local community in calling for the junking of the tax reform law.